Washington State Cougars: Game 4 vs. Utah – injuries, weather, odds, and more
Washington State Football wraps up this week with a road game at Utah. Pacific Northwest Sports has all you need to know.
The Washington State Cougars finish their odd 2020 season with a Saturday morning game in Salt Lake City. PNWS has Cougs fans covered as they watch their team take on Pac-12 South Division rivals, the Utah Utes.
Details
Who: University of Utah Utes (2-2) at Washington State Cougars (1-2).
Where: Rice Eccles Stadium – Salt Lake City, Utah.
When: Saturday, December 19, 2020 – 10:30 AM PST.
TV: FS1. Announcers: Eric Collins, Ben Leber.
Weather: Salt Lake City will be sunny with temperatures in the mid-upper 30s. There should be a light wind and a very slight chance of precipitation. (weather.com).
Line: Washington State +10.5. Over/Under: 56 (Odds Shark).
Interesting Trends: Washington State has lost four of their last five games and four of their last five road games. They are 1-6 against the spread. The good news is they are 4-1 in their last five meetings against the Utes.
Utah has lost four of their last six games overall. However, the Utes are very tough defending the home turf. They’ve won 12 of 13 at Rice Eccles Stadium. The only defeat was against USC in their delayed season opener.
Injury Report
Washington State Cougars
Out – Ayden Hector (COVID-19). Probable – DB Chau Smith-Wade (undisclosed), Chad Davis Jr. (undisclosed), Jaylen Watson (undisclosed), Armauni Archie (undisclosed).
Notes – The other four defensive backs missed the USC game. Cougars Head Coach Nick Rolovich didn’t give a reason why the quartet missed the trip. So their availability this week can’t be guaranteed. Borghi said he would play in a game this season. This might be his last opportunity.
Utah Utes
Out – QB Cameron Rising (shoulder).
Last Game
USC 38 – Washington State 13 (December 6)
It was an ugly first quarter. After canceling games against Stanford and Washington the past two weeks, it’s understandable that Washington State would be a little rusty. Further, the Cougs group of defensive backs was painfully thin due to what we think were COVID-19 concerns. Even with those factors, USC’s four Kedon Slovis to Amon-Ra St. Brown was totally unexpected.
After another Trojans touchdown in the second quarter, something kind of wonderful happened. Wazzu stood up for themselves. They started hitting as hard as USC was hitting them. Then the Cougs defense clamped down on their hosts. The unit held Southern Cal to only a field goal the rest of the way.
Utah 38 – Colorado 21
It was a huge come from behind victory for the Utes in Boulder, Colorado. Trailing 21–10 in the third quarter, Utah rallied. They scored the final 28 points to win 38–21. Running back Ty Jordan had touchdown runs of 18 and 66 yards in the second half, as part of his 166 yards from scrimmage (147 run, 19 pass).
After allowing a 61-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second half, Utah’s defense drew a line in the sand. Colorado only gained 102 yards the rest of the way.
Outlook
Cougs freshman quarterback Jayden de Laura had several “teachable moments” against USC. It won’t be much easier against Utah. But expect the young man to bounce back from his disappointing performance two weeks ago.
He should have the usual supporting cast of skill position players such as Deon McIntosh, Travell Harris, and Jamire Calvin plus Max Borghi who makes his debut/return. Washington State will try to establish themselves early and move the ball before the visitors can get settled in.
The Utes have several offensive weapons Wazzu needs to be concerned with. Running back Ty Jordan has run over tacklers this year with 443 years on 61 carries. Britain Covey is a do it all player. He can beat teams rushing, receiving, and returning kicks. Washington State should have a man on him at all times.
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Catch up with PNWS on Sunday when we present our biggest takeaways from the game.